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Just get back up

Maria Fernandez | Tuesday, February 26, 2013

From a very young age, I have always been up to date on the lives of movie stars, musicians and celebrities in general. Thanks to E! News, Us Weekly, People Magazine and even Hola – for some Spanish and European gossip – I know exactly what they wear for the most extravagant Hollywood parties, what weird names they give their newborns and their latest public faux pas. The Oscars, then, are the greatest celebration of all that I love – fashion, movies and celebrities in all their splendor. I look forward to them eagerly every year. I invite my friends over to watch the awards and we comment on the winners, the losers, their fashion choices and their overall performances. My reaction to Sunday’s Oscars, however, was very different from the one I tend to have after watching the number of award shows I have not missed for years. I am usually satisfied with some of the performances, in awe of some of the actresses’ gowns and content with the majority of the winners. This year, Ben Affleck’s last words in his thank-you speech took me by surprise, impacting me in a way I never thought Ben Affleck could. As he explained how he had been “knocked down” many times throughout his career as an actor, producer and now director, he concluded, “The important thing is that you gotta get up.” His culminating words were a perfect ending to the ceremony, as they resounded and perfectly complemented what I believe was the theme of this year’s Oscars. From Anne Hathaway’s thank-you speech and last performance as Fantine in “Les Miserables” to Jennifer Lawrence’s unexpected fall as she went to receive her Best Actress award, this year’s Oscars presented a positive and encouraging message to the world: “You just gotta get up.” Despite the hardships and struggles we face in our daily lives, it is important and necessary to continue fighting and never give up on what we want and believe. I hope this Oscar lesson encourages you to get up, study and ace these coming midterms. No matter how hard or impossible they might seem, I think Ben Affleck’s motivational speech will get me through them smoothly.